1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an operating system for powering and controlling a plurality of fluorescent lamps in an apparatus for radiative skin treatment.
2. Prior Art
Presently when ballasting a plurality of fluorescent lamps, such as in a sun tanning bed that typically comprises between 20 and 40 fluorescent lamps, with each lamp being 72" long and requiring about 100 Watt of power input for effective operation, these lamps are powered by way of a plurality of individual ballasts, with each ballast powering one or two lamps.
The fluorescent lamps most often used in these applications are of the so-called rapid-start type; which implies that each lamp requires four separate supply wires for proper operation. As a result, the number of wires required for powering 20-to-40 fluorescent lamps gets to be very high. Moreover, light output control is not readily achievable.